Marshall Wace LLP Acquires Shares of 2,279 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO)

Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,279 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $749,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 416.9% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 23,260 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $7,782,000 after purchasing an additional 18,760 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 95.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 44,341 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $14,836,000 after buying an additional 21,669 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 665 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in Bio-Rad Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $958,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,824 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,570,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the period. 65.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BIO traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $232.63. 280,579 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 320,664. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 4.85 and a current ratio of 6.48. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.38 and a 12 month high of $387.99. The business's 50-day moving average price is $244.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $302.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.58 and a beta of 1.00.

Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical research company reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.81. Bio-Rad Laboratories had a positive return on equity of 3.90% and a negative net margin of 71.86%. The company had revenue of $585.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.01 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on BIO shares. StockNews.com downgraded Bio-Rad Laboratories from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Bio-Rad Laboratories from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Bio-Rad Laboratories from $409.00 to $392.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Bio-Rad Laboratories from $355.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bio-Rad Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.40.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Company Profile

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc manufactures and distributes life science research and clinical diagnostic products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The company develops, manufactures, and markets instruments, systems, reagents, and consumables to separate, purify, characterize, and quantitate biological materials such as cells, proteins, and nucleic acids for proteomics, genomics, biopharmaceutical production, cellular biology, and food safety markets.